Conclusion
Our study concluded that the encroachment of both Leguminosae and
Non-Leguminosae shrubs had the overall facilitation impacts on ecosystem
functioning of the semi-arid alpine steppe. However, our finding showed
divergent above- and belowground ecosystem functioning responses to both
Leguminosae and Non-Leguminosae shrubs encroachment in the Tibetan
semi-arid alpine steppes, with the BEMF index rather than AEMF index of
semi-arid alpine steppes increased following shrub encroachment. We
highlight the role of shrub encroachment induced enhancements in
resources availability, such as increased soil nutrients, maybe of more
importance for determining their impacts on ecosystem functioning in
semi-arid alpine steppes. Our findings could help provide new insights
for the further understanding of alpine ecosystem transformations, and
are beneficial for scientific management and utilization of semi-arid
alpine steppes.